Between Wars
by Mornel
Summary: Hector and Andromache...was it love at first sight...or did their relationship take a little work? Their entire story! Please R&R.
1. Home Again

Hector gazed out over the walls of Troy towards the sea. He was glad to be home, the war with Sparta had been long and bloody.  
  
"May the gods spare us from more war" he prayed silently to the heavens, knowing in his heart that his prayer would never be answered.  
  
Closing his eyes he sighed, breathing in the fresh sea air. Now he had time to focus on other matters, such as marriage and the recent problems his brother's sexual escapades had caused. Opening his eyes he looked down to see the gates open to allow a large group of Trojans to enter the city for the evening's victory celebration.  
  
"Ah Hector, there you are."  
  
"Father!" Hector exclaimed happily. He turned from the wall to hug his greying king.  
  
"Come, you must get ready for tonight's feast. All the important families from the countryside have journeyed here to see Troy's greatest warrior" Priam said with a smile.  
  
Hector followed his father down the stairs rolling his eyes.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
The noise from the city was deafening. Hector had bathed and changed, and was now dressed in his best tunic and cape. After one last look in the mirror he headed down the hall to find his brother.  
  
"PARIS" he screamed above the roar.  
  
When he heard no answer he reached for the doorknob and yelled again. "PARIS!!! IT'S TIME TO..."  
  
Hector gasped as he opened the door. He had just walked in on his brother and a saddle maker's wife in a rather compromising position.  
  
Paris's head snapped up, his face flushed.  
  
"It's time to go" Hector repeated harshly, slamming the door behind him.  
  
He would have to talk to Paris about this later. If they were caught the woman would most certainly be put to death, and Paris severely punished.  
  
After regaining his composure Hector made his way down the hall and into the main chamber.  
  
"Where is Paris?" Priam asked.  
  
"He's um..." Hector stumbled.  
  
"I see" Priam said with a knowing sigh.  
  
Just then Paris burst into the chamber out of breath with his hair messy and tunic out of place.  
  
"Sorry I'm late Father" he panted.  
  
Instead of responding Priam simply smiled and headed toward the balcony.  
  
Hector followed his father outside and was amazed at the sight laid out before his eyes. Women were dancing in huge circles around the inner square while in the center a man was juggling burning torches. Behind the women, men and boys were waving brightly colored clothes and cheering loudly. On the rooftops maidens were throwing petals out into the square, making it appear as if the gods were showering them with flowers.  
  
"Look" one of the guards whispered.  
  
Hector tore his eyes from the maidens and followed the guard's gaze into the middle of the square. A single woman was doing a dance to Apollo dressed in a stola of deep blue and pale purple. Her gold jewelry shimmered in the torchlight. She was so beautiful that Hector was unable to take his eyes off of her. In that moment all the death and grief of the recent war faded away.  
  
"Her name is Andromache" Paris whispered in his brother's ear. 


	2. Caught

Hector's head snapped around.  
  
"What!" he exclaimed, a startled look on his face. Paris grinned. Just then the people saw the royal family on the balcony and gave a loud cheer. Hector, Paris and Priam waved to the people. After a few moments the crowd seemed to loose interest in them and returned to celebrating. The three of them saw down on the thrones. Hector leaned behind his father's throne to speak to Paris.  
  
"Her name is Andromache" Paris repeated. "She's the daughter of Sardis, that wealthy jeweller who lives on the east side of town."  
  
Hector blinked.  
  
"And how come you have never seen her before?" Paris continued with a smile before his brother could respond. "Because she lives in one of those big manors in the countryside with her mother and sister."  
  
"How do you..." Hector began.  
  
"Because" Paris interrupted, a twinkle in his eyes, "evidently her sister is very attractive."  
  
Hector narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Brother" Paris said a calming voice, reaching across and tapping Hector on the shoulder. "If you like her then of course I won't um...decide to...visit her sister."  
  
"Thank you" Hector replied sarcastically leaning back over to face the crowd.  
  
His soft brown eyes searched frantically for Andromache, but she was no where to be seen. Disappointed, Hector sat slumped on his throne until the servants call them for dinner.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
After a delicious dinner of roast quail and venison Hector and Paris went to join the party in the square. While Paris went off in search of the saddle maker's wife, Hector spent his time searching for Andromache. Once he thought he spotted her dancing on the roof of a building and gave all the women quite a scare when he came bursting up the ladder. After apologizing profusely he returned to the market just in time to see Paris leading the saddle maker's wife down a deserted alley. Just as they disappeared the woman's husband came stumbling around the corner carrying a large jug of wine.  
  
"Casara" he bellowed in a drunken voice. As he approached the prince, Hector could see that his face was flushed from the vine and that a large vein in his neck was pulsing frantically.  
  
"Ah, prince Hector" he said attempting a bow. "Great party, good job with the war." "Have you seen my Casara?" he slurred, "I seem to have lost her."  
  
Hector had just opened his mouth to respond when Casara's giggles could be heard down the alley.  
  
"CASARA" the man screamed. "If you are with another man I'm going to kill you!!!"  
  
Just before the man reached the entrance to the alleyway Hector stepped in front of him to block his path.  
  
"Citizen, I'm sure that that's not your wife, and if it is I'm sure she's laughing out of pleasure from our excellent wine, and not the touch of another man." Hector said nervously.  
  
The man swayed for a moment and appeared about to leave when a woman's moan of pleasure echoed down the alley.  
  
_I'm going to kill Paris when we get home_, Hector thought to himself.  
  
"Casara, you're a dead woman" the man yelled over Hector's shoulder.  
  
Suddenly the man charged at Hector. Underestimating the strength of the man the prince landed on the ground with a thud, the air knocked out of him.  
  
"Run" Hector tried to scream, but no sound came out.  
  
Just was the man was about to reach the unsuspecting Casara and Paris Hector jumped to his feet, grabbed a nearby pot and threw it at the man. It hit him square in the back of the head and smashed to pieces on the ground. The man stood rigid for a moment before collapsing on the paving stones. A moment later Paris and Casara emerged from the darkness of the alleyway.  
  
"Go home" Hector said sharply to Casara.  
  
She nodded silently and ran off, leaving her husband lying in the alleyway.  
  
"You" he said to Paris. "are coming with me."  
  
Without a sound Paris followed his brother out towards the street. Hector stopped at the house on the corner and pulled two gold coins from his purse. He slid them under the door with a sigh.  
  
"For the pot I broke on the man's head" Hector explained in a cold voice.  
  
Just before they reached the main street Hector turned to face his brother. Paris lowered his eyes.  
  
"Do you know what's going to happen now?"  
  
Paris shook his head.  
  
"When Casara's husband wakes up" Hector began. "He is going to see the broken pieces of the pot and figure out what happened. Then, in a fit of rage he is going to tell the entire city that Prince Hector attacked him in order to allow his wife to continue on her little affair."  
  
"Sorry" Paris muttered. "And thank you"  
  
"Sorry won't work this time Paris, I want you to promise me that you're going to stop sleeping with other men's wives."  
  
Paris looked up to meet Hector's eyes.  
  
"I promise" he said in a serious tone, but Hector could see the edges of his mouth twitching as if to hide a smile.  
  
Hector sighed and turned back towards the street.  
  
"Sure you do" he said rolling his eyes and marching down the street.  
  
Hector was still so angry with his brother that on the way home he did not even notice a beautiful woman in a purple and blue stola passionately kissing a man on the steps of the palace. 


	3. Sunset

Although Hector did not notice the woman, the ever observant Paris did. However, due to his brother's anger he decided to remain silent. As soon as they reached the palace Hector grabbed Paris' arm and dragged him into a storage rooms and closed the door.  
  
"What in the name of Apollo to you think you're doing? If you want to sleep with young maidens fine, I do not care, but other men's wives?" Hector said, sounding disappointed.  
  
Paris simply shrugged.  
  
"You cannot do this brother. I saved you tonight, but I will not always be there to defend you" Hector continued in a serious tone.  
  
"I know" mumbled Paris, staring intently at his feet. "I will try."  
  
"Good" Hector said gently.  
  
He reached out and gave Paris' shoulder a squeeze. Paris looked up and smiled. Then he embraced his brother in a tight hug.  
  
"It's good to have you home" he said.  
  
"It's good to be home" Hector replied breaking the embrace. "Now, go to bed."  
  
Paris nodded and headed for the door.  
  
"Alone" Hector added raising his eyebrows.  
  
His brother turned and gave him a grin before walking out the door. A moment later Hector left the storage room and headed for his own bed chamber. He removed his tunic and crawled into bed, and fell asleep immediately, exhausted from the night's adventure.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Paris waited until late afternoon the following day, to tell his brother the bad news.  
  
"Brother" he said as he entered Hector's room. "Let's go for a walk on the beach."  
  
"Alright" Hector agreed, reaching for his sandals.  
  
A few moments later they made their way out of the city gates and across the field.  
  
"I have some unfortunate news to tell you" Paris began, nervously fidgeting with the edge of his tunic.  
  
"Oh no" he said looking towards the heavens. "You didn't..."

"No, no, no" Paris replied quickly. "What I have to tell you actually concerns you and not me...for a change," he added with a laugh.  
  
"Really?" Hector said puzzled, letting the cool sea water run over his feet.  
  
They both removed their sandals and began to walk down the beach. The sun had just reached the edge of the horizon, sending rays of pink and orange across the clear sky.  
  
"It's about Andromache" Paris began.  
  
Hector stopped walking so fast that Paris nearly crashed into him.  
  
"Um...well...when we were walking up the palace steps last night, I saw her um..."  
  
"Yes" Hector replied, a sinking feeling in his stomach.  
  
"Kissing a man" Paris said quickly.  
  
Hector gazed out across the sea towards the setting sun for a long time.  
  
"There will be other's brother" Paris said in an attempt to cheer up him up.  
  
"I know" Hector replied sadly.  
  
When the sun had sunk below the horizon they began heading back towards the city. By the time they reached the gates it was twilight and the moon had risen.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"Hector, Paris, there you are" Hecuba cried as they reached the palace's main chamber. "You missed dinner, and we had important guests over."  
  
"Sorry mother" they muttered in unison.  
  
"Well the least you can do is go and introduce yourselves. They are heading towards the front doors, so hurry" she said slapping Hector gently on the arm.  
  
Hector sighed and led the way back down the hallway.  
  
"Ah and here are my sons" Priam said to the guests as soon as they rounded the corner.  
  
"Hello Father" Paris said rushing forward.  
  
Hector simply nodded.  
  
"I have some guests I'd like you to meet" Priam said pushing Hector and Paris forward. "This is Sardis, the jeweller."  
  
A tall thin man with brown curly hair stepped forward to meet them. He bowed to the princes. As soon as the man turned away Paris stole a glance at his brother. His face was expressionless. Paris smiled to himself, realizing that his brother had forgotten the name.  
  
"And this is one of his daughters, Andromache."  
  
Hector looked up in surprise. As she approached them he could now see that she was even more beautiful up close. She had long wavy chestnut brown hair, smooth tanned skin and deep soulful brown eyes. When she smiled at them Hector thought that he was going to collapse. His stomach was in a tight knot, yet some how, to his own amazement, he managed to speak.  
  
"Hello" he croaked and then cleared his throat, incredibly embarrassed.  
  
Andromache bowed slightly.  
  
"Um...where is your husband...or lover?" Hector asked looking around.  
  
"Husband?" she replied.  
  
Her voice was soft and quiet.  
  
"Yes" Hector continued. "My brother saw you on the steps of the palace last night" Hector adverted his eyes, "kissing a man."  
  
Hector looked up to see a confused look spread across her face. She stared into space for a moment before shaking her head and smiling brightly.  
  
"Oh no," she replied sweetly. "That was my sister."


	4. Paris' advice

Hector was speechless, it required every inch of his willpower not to leap with joy. After holding his gaze for a moment Andromache bowed again and then followed her father towards the exit.  
  
"It was nice to meet you" she called turning back to look at the brothers.  
  
"It was nice to meet you too" Paris said.  
  
Hector waved numbly.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"You see" Paris said excitedly at dinner later that night. "It wasn't her, you still have a chance."  
  
"I hope so" Hector said picking at his grapes. "She didn't seem too interested in me."  
  
"Brother" Paris exclaimed. "What did you expect her to do, throw herself at your feet and profess her love?"  
  
Hector gave his brother a weak smile, suddenly realizing how foolish he had been.  
  
"Now" Paris said standing up. "You are going to need to learn the ways of love" he said slowly, drawing out the last word.  
  
"You mean seduction?" Hector said with a grin.  
  
"No! Of course not" Paris said pretending to look hurt. "That's what I do. You need to learn how to attract a woman's love, not her body."  
  
"I'm not completely incompetent with women you know. I've had a few" Hector retorted.  
  
"That's true, but none of them were as beautiful as Andromache. I think she's going to be a difficult one" Paris said wisely. "You are going to need my help."  
  
Hector rolled his eyes but nodded in defeat.  
  
"Excellent, we'll start in the morning." Paris said excitedly clapping his hands together and practical skipping out the door. He was thrilled to be able to aid his brother at something, in return for the many times Hector had helped him.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
The next morning Hector was awoken by a knock at his door.  
  
"Wake up brother!" Paris cried bounding into the room carrying an assortment of bottles with him.  
  
Hector sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"What's all that" he said pointing to the bottles Paris had dumped all over his bed.  
  
"Scents" Paris replied confused, having expected it to be perfectly clear.  
  
"Scents? Only women wear those" Hector said wrinkling his nose.  
  
"No, there are scents for women and there are some for men" Paris said in a teacher like tone of voice. "Now hurry and get dressed."  
  
Fifteen minutes later Hector was washed and dressed. Paris had arranged his hair so that his soft brown curls would not fall into his eyes.  
  
"What did you do to my hair?" Hector asked nervously.  
  
"Nothing, I just made sure that Andromache will be able to see your face."  
  
"Ok" Hector replied slowly reaching up to touch his hair.  
  
Paris applied one of the scents from the bottle to his brother and ushered Hector out the door.  
  
They reached the market just as the sun rose above the walls. On the way there Paris had told Hector several phrases to say to Andromache when he saw her.  
  
"You know what to do when we see her right?" Paris asked, his lack of faith in his brother evident in his voice.  
  
"Yes" Hector said with a nervous sigh.  
  
The two brothers walked around the marketplace until the sun was straight above them. Finally they spotted Andromache strolling by the stalls.  
  
"Ok now go" Paris said pushing Hector forwards.  
  
"Are you sure about this plan Paris?"  
  
"Yes, now go" Paris said looking exasperated.  
  
Hector watched as she approached one of the stalls and examined a pearl necklace.  
  
"Um...good morning Andromache" he said walking up beside her.  
  
"Oh, good morning Prince Hector" she replied kindly.  
  
"Um..." his mind frantically tried to remember the phrases Paris had taught him.  
  
Andromache looked up at him and smiled slightly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You look very nice today"  
  
"Oh, well thank you" she replied nodding to him.  
  
"_Nice, nice? What was I thinking, I should have said beautiful, because that's what she is_" Hector thought scorning himself.  
  
"That's a very nice necklace there" he said looking down at the piece she was inspecting.  
  
"Yes it is" she responded with a smile.  
  
"I...um...I could buy it for you if you like" he said tentatively.  
  
"Are you trying to buy my affections Prince Hector?" she asked.  
  
Hector smiled and shrugged trying to look innocent, but stopped quickly when he realized she looked angry. The prince opened his mouth to apologize but Andromache was too fast.  
  
"Well" she said haughtily. "I would like to inform you that I am not the sort of woman to be bought. How dare you try to insult my honour like this" she added before spinning around and storming off down the street.  
  
Hector watched her leave feeling dumbfounded. Once he had regained his composure he turned around and glared at Paris who gave him a helpless shrug. 


	5. the flower pot

"Well that was a great plan" Hector said sarcastically.  
  
"It always works for me" Paris said helplessly.  
  
The two brothers had returned to the palace and were now standing in Hector's bedchamber overlooking the city.  
  
"Well obviously the women you like are easily seduced by pearls and gifts" Hector said flopping down on his bed.  
  
"Hey! Are you implying that the women I like are shallow and petty?" Paris asked with both amusement and anger showing on his young face.  
  
"Yes" Hector said, "and no," he added.  
  
"Look, clearly we need to come up with a new plan"  
  
"Um...how about I go and apologize first so she doesn't hate me" Hector said sitting up and running his hand through his curly hair.  
  
Paris nodded in agreement.  
  
"You could go over and give her a gift, as an apology" Paris suggested.  
  
"Paris!!! You are talented with women but not very wise" Hector said sounding annoyed. "Giving her a gift would be doing the exact same thing that I did in the marketplace."  
  
"Oh right" Paris said wincing. "That's true."  
  
"Look, I'm going to handle this on my own." Hector said fidgeting with the armour that stood on a nearby stand.  
  
"Ok" Paris said feeling rather unwanted.  
  
He headed towards the door and left without saying goodbye.  
  
"Paris" Hector called after him.  
  
When no one answered he sighed and sat back down on his bed.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
The next morning Hector made his way across the city to the home where Andromache was staying. He stopped in front of a large white two story home with large windows and polished wood shutters. Hector took a deep breath before going to knock on the door. He was slowly reaching his hand out to hit the solid oak door when...  
  
SMASH  
  
Stars swam before Hector's eyes, and the front door swayed in and out of focus. He blinked several time to try and clear his head. Looking down at his feet he found remnants of a broken flower pot spread about on the ground. He reached up to touch his head and instead touched a pile of soil and flowers. He shook his head to try and clear away all the dirt, but found that that only made him dizzier. Finally he looked up towards the center window to find Andromache glaring down at him.  
  
"I told you to stay away from me" she cried. Suddenly Hector felt intense anger, which was rare for him.  
  
"_How dare she do that to me, has she forgotten that I am still a prince of this city?" _he thought to himself.   
  
He looked around to find several towns people laughing and pointing at him. As soon as he looked their way they became quiet and backed away into stores and homes.  
  
"I came to apologize" he screamed back. "But it is obvious that you don't deserve one. Do something like that again and you shall never again be welcome in Troy."  
  
Hector knew that what he had said was harsh, but he was too angry to care. He turned around and stormed off back down the street, a yellow flower falling off his head as he did so. 


End file.
